Miracle of the Sunflowers
by Yamiga
Summary: When Naruto turns up missing for class naturally no one cares, not even Iruka. However, when the Iruka's feelings get the best of him and he grows worried,he decides to search for Naruto and much to is surprise, he finds Naruto crying in an alley. Upon attempting to comfort his troubled student, Iruka finds out the disturbing reason behind Naruto's absence. Naruto was raped.
1. Broken

**Author's Note: While I was re-watching Naruto Shippuden episodes 176-178, I can't help but feel terrible for Naruto. I mean, how or why he didn't kill himself, I don't know. He was strong willed, but it was terrible to see him go home and cry at the end of the day...so, I came up with this story. And also, there are a lot of people who actually share Naruto's life but they don't have anyone to reach out to them,it's sad...**

**Further note: This is during the time when Iruka wasn't very keen on being Naruto's teacher. I can't really say that it's canon. So slight AU.**

**Summary: When Naruto turns up missing for class naturally no one cares, not even Iruka. However, when the Iruka's feelings get the best of him and he grows worried,he decides to search for Naruto and much to is surprise, he finds Naruto crying in an alley. Upon attempting to comfort his troubled student, Iruka finds out the disturbing reasons behind Naruto's absence. Naruto was raped. Will Iruka be able to step up and be the teacher he needs to be, or will he let his hate for the Kyuubi get the best of him?**

**Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Romance (not between Naruto and Iruka.)**

**Pairings: Slight KakaIru, Naruto and Iruka (not romantic, more like father or if you squint, a mother XD) NarutoxHinata**

* * *

_**Chapter One: Broken**_

_**Iruka**_

As far as the rookie instructor could recall, that day started off as normal as the rest. He woke up at the same time as usual and from the same nightmare. He took his usual warm shower, and ate his usual breakfast. He dressed in his shinobi uniform and then headed to the academy.

When he got to the staff office he noticed that no one else had clocked in which was normal, he was usually the first to arrive. He then made his way to his classroom down the hall and entered. He did his routine of checking every row, making sure there was no trash before finally taking his seat in the front of the classroom and removing his papers from his satchel.

Then Iruka took a deep breath and placed the papers on his desk. He then look at each students records and achievements carefully.

As usual, he sorted students out from highest marks to lowest. It was no surprise that Sasuke Uchia was at the top of the list, followed by Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno, etc. He cringed however, when he reached Naruto Uzumaki's name, as he was the only student that was failing almost all his courses. He was the only student doing poorly.

Sighing, Iruka cast Naruto's reports aside and brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose. He then turned his chair around to face the clock.

He still had thirty minutes until the students arrived, thirty minutes to decide what he was going to do if Naruto's pranks disrupted class. Iruka could simply kick him out, or even embarrass him in front of everyone, but he knew that's all he wanted, so he couldn't give him the satisfaction. He would just deal with Naruto after class and address his grades. It's not like he would listen at all, but at least Iruka was attempting to reach out to him. If he disregarded Iruka's advice, then that was Iruka's fault.

In all honesty, he didn't even want to give Naruto the time of day, but as his teacher, it was Iruka's responsibility to make sure he succeeded.

Sighing once more, Iruka faced the clock once again. Fifteen minutes had passed and Iruka decided to make a small detour to the teachers lounge. The students would arrive in minutes, so Iruka took the time to get the little refreshments he could find.

* * *

By the time the bell had rung, Iruka was happy to see everyone of his students sitting down quietly. As usual, he stepped into the classroom and greeted all of them. Inevitably, the group replied back with less enthusiasm, this caused Iruka to laugh inside.

"Class." He began happily. "As you know, we're half week through the first semester."

He looked around at all the curious faces, all but Naruto's it seemed. The stupid boy could hardly keep his eyes open. "It's about time that I hand out all of your reports so you can know where you stand in the class. If your overall grade is below average, then please see me. Today we're going to work mainly on making up work or turning in things that we haven't done. If you're all caught up, then you have a study period."

He saw many of the students grin at each other as he began to call names.

"Sakura Haruno." He announced.

The young girl jumped from her seat and practically ran up to Iruka's desk. He handed Sakura her current report and smiled. "You're one of my brightest students Sakura, please keep it up."

"Yes sir!" Sakura beamed, staring at her paper. "Perfect marks!" Quickly she ran back to her seat and began to show her report off to the boy next to her, Sasuke Uchiha.

"Next, Sasuke Uchiha."

He stood, obviously ignoring the Sakura. He then made his way to the front of the class room and stood before Iruka's desk.

Iruka handed Sasuke his report. "You're also very bright Sasuke." Iruka commented."Thanks." Sasuke flatly replied, walking back to his seat.

Iruka watched as Sasuke passed by Naruto. The angry blonde muttered something to him, causing Sasuke to scowl. Iruka rose an eyebrow in curiosity.

"What was that you said, Naruto?" Iruka called out, gaining everybody's attention.

"Nothin'." Naruto replied.

"Good." Iruka smirked. "You shouldn't insult those better than you." Sasuke smirked and the class laughed. Iruka felt slightly bad for what he had done but figured Naruto deserved it.

"You wanna know what I said!?" Naruto banged his fists down on his desk and glared at Iruka. The outburst caused everyone to grow quiet.

"What?" Iruka asked impatiently.

"I said that there's no way I scored lower on my report than a low life like Sasuke!" He stood up and pointed. "I'm not as stupid as that bum!"

At that moment, a number of things happened.

Sakura, Ino and the rest of the girls either shouted or attacked Naruto, Sasuke crossed his arms and closed his eyes, Hinata blushed a bit and turned away from Naruto and his attackers, then Iruka stood up and walked towards his troubled student with a report in his hand.

"Everyone, quiet down and sit down!" He shouted, walking through the row. The girls scurried back to their seats, leaving Naruto there with a pained expression. He looked up in surprise when he noticed Iruka holding his report, then he smiled.

"Well let's have it Iruka Sensei! Give me my report so I can show off to Sasuke_"

"I don't know what you'll be showing off, Naruto." Iruka sneered, suddenly slamming Naruto's paper on his desk. "You have a forty five for an overall average, compared to Sasuke's ninety seven."

At that moment, Iruka felt his heart shatter just a bit as he saw the look on Naruto's face. It was obvious that he had crushed Naruto inside, and the young boys facial expression revealed that. But still, Naruto had asked for it.

"Yeah...whatever." Naruto managed.

"Whatever? Naruto, I'd be more concerned." Iruka pressed on.

"Why, it's not like I'm the only one failing."

"Yes Naruto, you are the only one failing_" Iruka would have continued on if the other students hadn't begun to laugh and throw cruel insults. Instantly, Naruto's face flushed red with embarrassment and all together, Iruka felt like a douche.

Again, he silenced the class and spoke directly to Naruto. "There's still hope for you Naruto. You can complete your missing work today during the free block or after_"

Naruto stood up and crumbled up his report. "Grades mean nothing for someone like me!" He yelled, looking at Iruka. "I just have to avoid people like you, trying to put me down!"

"Naruto," Someone yelled. "You idiot, sit down so the rest of us can get our reports."

"Yeah you idiot!" And like normal, the rest of the students joined in. Slowly and quietly, Naruto sat in his seat, muttering to himself.

"Naruto, see me after class." Iruka commanded before walking back down the row and sitting in his desk.

He then began to hand out the rest of the reports and as he guessed, every single person wore the look of happiness on their face. Every single person except Naruto.

* * *

That day had ended with the students laughing and showing off their reports to their friends.

"Wow, my mom's gonna have to buy me a gift!" Iruka heard one student say.

"Yeah! You can come over to my house, we'll have a party." A friend replied. The two laughed as they left the classroom. They looked back at Naruto and began talking in hushed whispers. Iruka could only imagine, what they were talking about.

When Iruka saw that everyone had left except Naruto, he stood up and made his way to the pre-genin's desk. He held a large stack of papers; it was all Naruto's incomplete work. Iruka wore a smile as he approached the blonde. Naruto on the other hand didn't even look at him. He only sat in his seat and looked at the green chalk board.

"Naruto." Iruka spoke kindly, placing the papers down on the desk. "In order to improve your grade, you have to complete this makeup work. We're going to start from here."

"Hn." Naruto replied, looking out of the window.

Iruka felt the urge to yell at Naruto's ignorance, but he only smiled and continued on. "Look...there's still hope for your grades, and there's still hope for you to excel, you've just go to do the work."

And this time, Naruto said nothing, causing Iruka to sigh.

"Look, if you're still upset about this morning, then I'm sorry. I should not_"

"Save it, Iruka Sensei." Naruto spat with distaste. "I don't need your dumb apology, in fact, I don't even need to be here right now. I know the only reason I'm failing is because you dislike me."

While that was true, that wasn't the reason Naruto was failing. "Naruto," Iruka handed him a sheet of paper from the large stack. "Look at this Naruto, you've hardly answered any questions, and this was a test! The only reason you're doing poorly is because you don't do the work."

"I don't need to do the work, I already know the stuff!" Naruto replied. "You just don't have hope in me!" He stood up.

"Naruto!" Iruka grabbed his shoulder. "Sit down!"

"Let me go!" Naruto found the strength to push Iruka, nearly knocking him over.

For a second, the two did nothing but glare at each other with hate in their eyes. Iruka searched for something to say, while still attempting to remain professional.

"Don't play dumb with me, Iruka Sensei. I can see past that fake smile of yours! You're just like the others!" Naruto yelled, pointing an accusing finger. "Well you know what, you can go and fuck off because_"

At that moment, Iruka lost every bit of professionality in him. He wanted to say something that would hurt Naruto, and when he did, he instantly regretted it. "You're right! It's not like I'd want to help you, but I have to because I'm your teacher. Honestly, do you believe I want to be here? No, but I have to and it pains me that I'm stuck with an unthankful brat like you."

Naruto didn't say anything, he only clenched his fists, turned around and swiped the large stack of papers off of the desk. "I don't need your help!" And with that, Naruto ran out of the classroom before Iruka could even scold him.

For a while, Iruka stood there looking at all the papers he would have to pick up. He was tempted to go chase after Naruto and make him clean up the mess, but instead he made his way to the front of the classroom and shut the door.

Then looking at the paper on the floor, he returned back to Naruto's desk, and began to clean up the mess.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

_Stupid Sensei. He doesn't know anything_. Naruto thought as he walked through the village with his head down. He did this to avoid the gazes from those in the village. He had become all too familiar with them and wished, on a terrible day like this, not to be confronted.

In silence, he walked and brushed past numerous people not excusing himself or anything like that. He only wished to get home and go to bed. Deep down inside, his heart was aching and he wanted to burst into tears. He knew that Iruka didn't like him, but the fact that he would humiliate Naruto in front of everyone to such a degree, well...that made Naruto want to.._.disappear_.

True, on the outside, Naruto was able to smile and act all happy, but on the inside he honestly wanted to die. It was one thing for everyone to hate him, but it was another thing for everyone to hate him for no reason. It made it hard, for him to want to continue on every day after being put down by so many people. It made it even harder to want to continue when people he didn't even know yelled at him.

"Naruto..." A soft voice brought him back to reality. He turned around and noticed Hinata standing there with flowers in her hand.

"Oh...Hinata." Naruto replied with less enthusiasm. "What's up?"

"I saw what happened today, in class." She walked towards him.

"Who didn't?" Naruto sarcastically replied.

"Well...I felt bad for you, so I bought you these." She handed him the bouquet of flowers. "They're sunflowers...I got them because they match your hair."

Naruto took them with wide eyes. He looked at Hinata, shocked. "You...you got these...f...for me?"

"Yes Naruto." She replied, softly, looking away. "You see...I...I...sorta, I really want to become friends."

"You don't hate me?"

"N...no! I never have." Hinata admitted. "Maybe we can, go to Ichiraku's ramen. Isn't that your favorite?"

"Yeah! How'd you know?" He asked, smiling.

She blushed and looked away. "Lucky guess..."

"Okay. But, I don't have any money." Naruto admitted sadly.

"That's fine! I have some." She smiled. "It should be able to pay for the both of us."

Naruto's smile widened. "Really Hinata?"

"Really!" Hinata beamed brighter than she ever had before.

"Okay then." Naruto replied. "Let's go."

* * *

The two hadn't even sat down when trouble began.

It appeared that when they arrived at Ichiraku's Ramen, there was already a group there. Luckily, there were two seats available. Without really thinking about it, Naruto and Hinata say.

From what Naruto saw, there were three of his classmates and two older guys there. They had forehead protectors, so Naruto figured they were already ninja.

"Ah Naruto!" Ichiraku announced, emerging from the scented steam. "You brought a friend?"

"Yeah!" Naruto replied joyfully. "Hinata!"

"Ah...I can tell by her eyes that she's a Hyuga."

"Yes." Hinata managed.

"Well then, this makes you my fist Hyuga customer! Let me make sure to get you two the best meal, you wait right here."

Ichiraku vanished in the back and began to make their meals, leaving both Naruto and Hinata with the other five customers.

"Don't tell me." One boy said. "It's Naruto Uzumaki!"

"I thought he was staying after school today with Iruka Sensei!" His friend replied.

"I don't blame Iruka for not having him, he's such and idiot."

The group laughed, prompting Naruto to clench his fists.

"Will you shut up already?" Naruto asked loudly.

"No." One boy replied, then pointing. "You see here, these are my brothers and if you're mean to me, they'll beat you up."

Naruto held his breath for a second, realizing the size of the guys then he spoke. "I can take all of you on!"

"Naruto!" Hinata yelped, shaking her head. "Don't get in a fight, please."

He was about to reply, but Ichiraku returned with both Naruto and Hinata's bowls, placing them in front of the two. "Dig in, and enjoy." And like before, Ichiraku vanished to the back. Inevitably, the bickering began again.

"Aww, poor Naruto." One of the older kids said. "Has to have his little girlfriend protect him!"

"Shut it!" Naruto retorted. "Will you!? I'm not messing with you, so leave me alone_"

"Don't you see, you are messing with us by just being here,you low life. Why don't you just go and die, then we'll be happy."

Naruto felt a terrible jolt in his heart and fought back the urge to cry. He wanted to say something to hurt them, but he couldn't find anything.

"Leave him alone!" Hinata spoke, surprising everyone.

"Or what?" One kid asked.

"I'll tell my dad...and you'll be in trouble!" Hinata sounded frightened, but she knew that being a Hyuga, what she said carried a lot of power.

Without saying a word, the boys stood up and left. Both Naruto and Hinata watched them as they walked away and suddenly, Naruto got the urge to laugh.

"Did you see how frightened they looked, Hinata?" He asked, slurping up his noodles.

"Yeah." Hinata replied, calmly eating hers.

The two talked and ate until they were all done. They talked about random things, such as why Naruto didn't do his work and what is was like growing up in a noble clan. Before they knew it, they're bowls were clean and Hinata paid the tab.

"Good bye, Ichiraku!" Naruto yelled as both he and Hinata jumped from their stools.

"Oh, good bye Naruto, Hinata please be sure to come back."

The young Hyuga smiled. "Thank you, I really liked the food."

Without another word, both she and Naruto started to head home. Their plan was to go to Hinata's home first, and then Naruto would continue on home from there. Of course, he couldn't actually step into the Hyuga residence, he would only say good by from outside the gate.

"The sun is setting." He heard Hinata say as she looked up.

"Yeah, we'd better hurry." Naruto was swinging his hands at his sides and suddenly, realized that he'd forgotten something. "Oh crap!" He yelled. "The sunflowers you gave me, I..I forgot them at Ichiraku's! I'll go get them_"

"It's okay Naruto!" Hinata coaxed. "I'll get you some_"

"No, Hinata." Naruto turned to look at her. "You don't understand, that's the first gift I've ever gotten...I'm not going to waste them like they're meaningless." He turned around and began to run.

"See you tomorrow, Hinata!" He called from his shoulder.

"Wait...wait for me!" He heard Hinata call back.

* * *

"Good." Naruto said, taking the bouquet from the Ramen stand. "No one took them...but it looks like Ichiraku already left."

"We should get going then." Hinata looked at the sky. "The sun..."

"Yeah, I'll get you home, come on."

The villagers were heading home for the night, which meant that the streets of Konoha had become somewhat vacant. Naruto and Hinata walked in silence as they attempted to get the Hyuga compound quickly. However, in the midst of their silence, Naruto heard someone from behind the two and quickly turned around. Hinata did the same. Much to their surprise, the three students from the Ramen stand before, stood behind them angrily.

"Oh, it's just you guys." Naruto spat. "What do you want?"

"You're gonna pay for before." One of the boys said. "Both of you."

"Yeah, whatever...Let's go Hinata." Naruto grabbed her hand and made way to move, but someone grabbed him by the shoulder and threw him to the ground. Hinata screamed as she was thrown on top of him.

Standing before the two were about four larger men; It was too dark to make our their faces or any features. But Naruto could tell that they were up to no good, by the way they stared down at the two. One of the guys bent over and picked Hinata up by her hair. She attempted to scream, but they covered her mouth.

"So you're the little Hyuga brat that gave my brother's a hard time?" He asked.

"Let her go!" Naruto stood, clenching one fist and holding the sunflowers in the other. Instantly, he was blind sided and kicked to the ground. Then someone grabbed him by the back of his collar and held him up.

"You little shit." The man said, angrily. "It would be better if you just died!"

"No!" Hinata yelled in a muffled voice, attempting to break free. Her captor only brought his hand only Hinata's nose, cutting off her circulation.

"Please, just let her go!" Naruto was getting worried, seeing his friend struggle for breath. "Let her go!" With a spurt of energy, Naruto was able to break free. He then ran for Hinata's captor, jumped and punched the man in the face. Instantly, Hinata fell to the ground and looked at Naruto with tears in her eyes.

"Run Hinata!" Naruto commanded, realizing that he was again, kicked to the ground.

All the while, Hinata stood there, shaking.

"N...Naruto..." For a quick second, Naruto noticed a change in her eyes and then, with an unimaginable speed, she ran towards the man that had kicked Naruto and gently, hit him with her hand.

Naruto didn't think much of it when he saw, but seconds after, he came crashing to the ground in pain. "What did you do?" Naruto asked as Hinata grabbed his arm and began to run. They could hear their captors behind them, but they didn't dare look back. They knew that they didn't have another chance of escaping if they were caught again.

* * *

After a few long minutes of running, Naruto saw a familiar area gleaming in the distance.

"Hinata! Your compound is coming up, you need to go, now!" Sure enough, the gates of the Hyuga compound were not too far from them. They could already see the dim light in the distance.

"What about you...Naruto?" Hinata asked as Naruto pulled her closer.

"Me...I'll be fine, trust me! You just need to get home."

He could see the confusion and sadness in Hinata's eyes, but in the end, she ran ahead of him and hesitantly, into the Hyuga compound. Naruto finally sighed a sigh of relief as he turned around and ran towards his small apartment.

However, as he ran, he realized that his captors were still hot in pursuit. Going to his apartment now would be a death wish, so the best thing to do, would be to hide. He had been running for a while, and he was nowhere near the Hyuga compound anymore, but luckily, the Academy was close by, and from where he was he could tell that the lights were on.

"Don't let him get away!" Naruto heard one of the guys yell.

Without thinking, he burst into the academy and immediately started trying to open doors. Every single one that he had tried to open had been locked, in addition, most of the inside lights were off. He noticed that his only chance was a classroom at the end of the hallway, Iruka's classroom.

_No way_...He thought to himself. _I'm not going in__

He heard distant shouting and running from down the hallway and instantly, he paled.

_They followed me...they followed me..._

He ran to Iruka's classroom door and began to bang on it violently.

"Iruka Sensei!" Naruto yelled with fear in his voice. "Let me in!"

"What...who is it?" He heard his Sensei ask.

"It's me, Naruto!" Naruto heard the group getting closer and closer. "Please, let me in!"

"After your outburst today, I don't_"

"There are people chasing me, damnit!" Naruto shouted.

For a while, Iruka went silent and Naruto thought that he'd open the door, but he didn't. "Get out of here Naruto." Iruka replied, coldly. "There are people chasing you, you say? Probably for good reason."

"I...Iruka Sensei!" Naruto continued to bang on the door, half shouting, half sobbing. "Please..." He begged. "Please..."

It was too late. Someone had grabbed him from his hair, and another person had hit him hard in the head. Within seconds, Naruto's whole world went black.

* * *

Naruto woke up in a dark alley, all he could hear were the voices of his captors.

"What are we going to do with him?" He heard one ask.

"Kill him?" Another mentioned.

"No, that's too easy."

They continued to talk, and all the while, Naruto laid on his back and looked up at the starry night sky. They were lucky, the stars up there. They were free and untouchable, they didn't have to worry about being judged or being attacked like Naruto did. They could be happy and they could be a family without having to worry about anything. Naruto only wished that he could join them.

_Why do you hate me?_ He wanted to ask his captors as the discussed his torture. _What did I ever do to you__

Roughly, he was turned around and forced to face the cold stone ground. He attempted to struggle but he found no point. He was being held down anyway.

"I've got an idea." One man said. "Get the kid on his knees."

Naruto did nothing as he basically forced to kneel, he only looked at the ground and closed his eyes. He heard the rustle of someone pants falling down, as they stood behind him and he felt someone slip his own undergarments down.

From then on out, Naruto only closed his eyes harder, clenched the sunflowers, and only wished that he could be up there with the stars. Ignoring the pain, or even trying to was pointless, all he could do was imagine himself in the sky, untouchable and safe with a family that loved him.

* * *

**I really hope that you liked it. This chapter was difficult to write and I have a feeling all the chapters are going to be like that. I realized that Hinata is a bit OOC, and that's for good reason. Like I said, it's AU. So please review, favorite and be honest. Tell me what you think. Hopefully it's not to mature...I really don't want this one to be taken down. **

**And like always, I don't own Naruto.**


	2. Pretend

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the feedback for the first chapter! I'm glad you all like it, just don't forget to review. In addition, I'm tired of reading stories where Mizuki is either the abusive boyfriend, or the jerk-ass friend, so I've changed him up a bit. Tell me if you like it.**

* * *

_**Chapter Two: Pretend**_

_**Hinata**_

It was the bright sun that woke Hinata the next morning as she laid curled on the alley's ground. She heard the distant noises of the villagers as they began their mornings. Everything seemed normal and natural, however Hinata knew that was not the case. As she sat up and yawned from her painful sleep, she crawled from behind the dumpster where she hid the night before and quickly ran to the boy injured in the alley.

As she slowly walked towards Naruto, she felt her heart skip a few beats as she realized that there were small puddles of blood surrounding him. In addition to that, he looked terrible. There was blood on his shorts, a lot. However, that wasn't what shocked Hinata the most. As she walked closer to him, she realized that in his hand, he loosely held the bouquet of sunflowers she had given him from before.

_Naruto.._.She thought, gently shaking him.

It took him a few minutes to regain consciousness, but when he did, his bright blue eyes opened wide, and Hinata breathed a sigh of relief.

"Naruto..." She managed happily.

"Hinata." He replied, looking up at her. "How long have you been here?"

"I...I went looking for you." She admitted. "I never went home last night."

"What? Why_" He tried to sit up but instantly shot back down. "Ouch..."

"Are you okay?" Hinata spoke, with tears already forming in her eyes. "You look like you're in pain...are you hurt?"

"No!" Naruto had the biggest smile on his face and for good reason. Hinata could practically see the lie in his eyes, after all, he knew what had happened to him and so did she.

"It's okay Naruto..." She comforted him, by sitting down and helping him up.

"What's okay? Everything...everything is fine..." Naruto replied with his voice slowly cracking. "Everything...it's...f...fine..."

Hinata wasn't sure how to react to Naruto when he started crying. She wasn't used to someone else crying, after all. However, she had to do something. Naruto was her friend and she couldn't let him cry in agony all by himself. So softly, she leaned over and placed her arms around him.

"It's going to be fine." She whispered.

"I...I h..hate this village!" Naruto shouted and then he began to sob again.

Hinata only sat there, hugging her friend until eventually, his tears vanished. The two eventually moved and sat up against the alley wall. Then they began to talk.

"We need to tell someone." Hinata began. "A teacher or something_"  
"No!" Naruto yelped. "We can't tell anyone...it'll just be a secret, okay? A secret between us." He forced a smile. "No matter who asks about it, we can't tell anyone."

Hinata hesitated for a while, but then nodded and that made Naruto smile genuinely.

"I guess we should start heading to the academy." Hinata breathed. "Or we should go home first."

"You can go back to the academy. I'm never stepping foot there again." Naruto seared.

"Okay." Hinata knew there was no point in trying to convince him.

Another short period of silence passed before Naruto coughed and looked at Hinata.

"Hinata?" He asked with a soft voice.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"Can you...can you help me walk back home? It's a little...hard."

She smiled and nodded. "Sure." She stood up and held her hand out.

Without saying a word, Naruto grabbed on and wobbly, stood on his two feet. "Thanks..."

"Fine! Let's go." Hinata replied.

Within five minutes, the two had left the alley and the only thing that remained were the bloody sunflowers that were long forgotten.

* * *

_**Iruka**_

The night before, Iruka had been plagued with guilt. Something in his mind told him that he should have let Naruto inside the classroom instead of being stubborn and ignoring the boys request. But who could blame him? Naruto got what he deserved, right? Those kids probably beat him up, and all for good reason. Naruto was a punk, a hoodlum, a brat. He deserved almost everything bad that happened to him, and who was Iruka to have an ounce of sympathy for the boy?

However, nothing, not even his deepest thoughts, seemed to calm him from the guilt that flooded his body like an ocean. He distinctly remembered the way Naruto sounded, as if he was crying. Perhaps, that was what haunted Iruka the most, knowing that he had turned his back on a crying child. Was that truly like him, to do such a thing? To abandon someone who needed him?

No. Iruka thought, and would continue to think. _It's just...it's just Naruto._

* * *

When Iruka left his apartment that morning, he left his apartment with an unemotional face. After all, he didn't know what to feel. His mind itself was still in complete turmoil.

As he walked down the staircase and onto the village street, he realized how vacant it seemed to be. Perhaps this was because of how early it was, it was rare to see many outside at this hour. However, Iruka wasn't completely alone as he figured out soon enough.

"Well, good morning." He heard a calm voice say from above and looking up, Iruka noticed none other than Kakashi Hatake sitting on a tree branch.

"Ah, Kakashi-san." Iruka greeted as the silver haired ninja jumped and landed before him. "What brings you up so early?" He asked calmly.

"I was going to ask you the same question, let's walk." Kakashi advised and Iruka did so.

"I'm always up early." Iruka admitted. "Seems you are the same way?"

Kakashi laughed and shook his head. "I'm rather lazy these days."

"The great Kakashi Hatake, lazy?" Iruka joked. "And why all of a sudden, did you decide to talk to me?"

Kakashi sighed. "The last time we talked well, wasn't exactly what I had in mind." He looked towards Iruka. "You know, about Naruto."

Iruka didn't say anything, he only looked down.

"So that's what it is." Kakashi said, surprising Iruka.

"What?"

"It's Naruto? Troubling you again?"

"More or less." Iruka replied. "But it's no big deal."

"No big deal...'' Kakashi mocked. "And you don't want to talk about it?"

"Not now." Iruka closed his eyes. "I'd rather keep it to myself."

"Well can we talk about something?" Kakashi's voice had changed from carefree, to serious. Iruka only nodded.

"Life is short, and we don't have time to hate nor to hesitate." He stopped and looked at Iruka. "You already know that don't you?"

Iruka said nothing.

"Well, I'm here." Kakashi placed his hand on Iruka's shoulder. "And I'm here as more than a mentor, more than a friend_"

Iruka took Kakashi's hand from his shoulder and shook his head. "Let's not do this now." He frowned. "Not now..."

Kakashi backed away and placed his hands in his pockets. "I understand, Iruka." His visible eye smiled, causing Iruka's heart to melt inside. "But whenever you need me, you know where to find me, right?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sa_, Kakashi. I know where to find you and thank you, for everything." Iruka managed a smile.

"No problem." And with that, Kakashi vanished with a puff of smoke leaving Iruka there to continue his day.

* * *

Iruka's routine continued as normal when he entered the classroom. He and his students exchanged greetings and then he retreated to his desk to being attendence.

"Sakura." He started.

"Here!" She replied.

"Good." He looked around and spoke again. "Ino?"

"Here."

Before he continued on, he was interrupted by someone quickly bursting the door open and running to her seat. Much to his surprise, it was Hinata. "Hinata, you're here late."

"Yes, Sorry Iruka Sensei." She blushed as she sat down.

"It's fine, I'll let it slide this time..." He sighed and began again. "Sasuke?"

"I'm here." The young boy said, without any emotion. Iruka only shrugged and moved down the list.

"Naruto?"

For a while there was silence, so he called out again. "Naruto Uzumaki?" No one answered. "Has anyone seen Naruto?"

There was a negative murmur from the whole class. "It's not like anyone wants to keep track of him." Sakura remarked.

"Yeah!" Another girl said. "He's downright annoying."

Iruka shrugged and skipped over his name, then like usual, he began to call everyone else.

* * *

That day went by as faster than usual, not that Iruka cared. He could get home earlier and grade papers, and he could probably go to bed early. Still he couldn't help but still feel a twinge of guilt over Naruto. Was there some reason that he wasn't at school? Was it Iruka fault?

Sighing, he only shook his head. He needed to clear his mind and think, better yet, he needed someone to tell him that he had done the right thing and there was no one more fit to do that that Mizuki.

* * *

Entering Mizuki's classroom, Iruka expected to see the man grading papers or something, but instead he saw him doing something completely different.

Huddled and hiding in a corner, Mizuki was eating a large chocolate piece of cake. Iruka guessed that one of his students had given it to him. Mizuki's birthday was in a few days, but it didn't give him an excuse to be eating..._cake_.

"Now you know you're not supposed to be eating cake." Iruka said in an angry voice.

He heard Mizuki laugh. "You've got me red handed." He turned around, still eating the cake. Then he smiled. "But you're not gonna stop me."

Iruka sighed, shook his head, and walked into the classroom.

"Mizuki..."

"I already know what you're going to say. I'm diabetic right, so I shouldn't be eating something this sugary. Well if it helps to know, I left my insulin at home, so I haven't had enough sugar today." Mizuki replied. "And you're not my mom."

"But I have to act like it." Iruka made way to snatch the cake from Mizuki's hand, but Mizuki stepped back and shook his head.

"I left my insulin at home_" "Like I'd believe that!" Iruka retorted as Mizuki dodged him. "Ugh, Mizuki, stand still!"

"So you can take my cake from me! I'm sorry, but this is a huge step up from the veggie-jelly cake you made me_"

"Excuse me, but you have diabetes. That was a healthy_"

"Who has ever heard of a healthy cake? I was so dissapointed_"

"For you information, it was a gelatin poke cake! You add fruits and vegetables in them_"

"Because everyone loves a cake with vegetables_"

Within seconds, Iruka had gotten the upper hand and the chocolate cake piece went flying on the wall, leaving a large brown smear mark. Iruka nor Mizuki looked impressed.

"Well thanks." Mizuki snorted.

"You're welcome." Iruka replied, crossing his arms.

For a while there was a painful silence, but Mizuki finally spoke. "Look," He began, looking at Iruka. "I'm sorry...but it's hard being the only shinobi here with diabetes."

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Not an excuse." He replied, going into Mizuki's classroom closet and pulling out a sponge and some spray.

"It's hard, you know. Having to watch what I eat, having to watch how I fight! Above all, I can't be a jounin because of it...I mean, what gives?" Mizuki sat down on one of the desks and watched as Iruka scrubbed the wall. "I know it sounds selfish."

"It does." Iruka dryly replied.

"And I'm sorry."

"You should be." Iruka clenched his fists, remembering a terrible image of the past. "No one else had to come to your house and find you...nearly dead. But I had to, and that haunts me. So everytime I see you carelessly eating, I remember that day."

Mizuki sighed. "Okay, I'll stop this time, really."

"No you won't." Iruka managed a smile. "But when you pass out again or something like that, I'll make sure to be there for you."

Mizuki chuckled. "That's more like it. Now, what did you come in here for the first place?"

"Well," Iruka had finished cleaning the wall, and now he went to put the materials back into the closet. "It has a lot to do with Naruto."

"Naruto?" Mizuki's jaw dropped. "You're still letting that pest stay in your class?"

"I'm still letting that _boy_, stay in my class yes. Anyway...there were people chasing him last night and, well, he asked to come in my classroom to get away from them."

"Well, did you let him in?" Mizuki asked, as Iruka stood in front of him.

"No, and I've come to you because I need to know if I did the right thing."

Mizuki shrugged. "I'd never let that kid in my class. Not even if one of the strongest S-Ranked ninja were chasing him. I think you did the right thing. He was probably up to no good, he got what he deserved."

Iruka felt relief melt through his body as Mizuki finished. He didn't feel so bad anymore.

"Now, how about you and the Copy Ninja?" Mizuki asked, smiling. "I heard he's chasing after you."

Iruka blushed and shook his head. "We have nothing going on...he just saved me on a mission. We've kind of...we're kind of friends now, nothing more."

Mizuki laughed. "Whatever, everyone knows."

"Mizuki, he is an elite, I'm a chunnin. You see the difference?" Iruka placed his hands on his hips.

"I don't see a difference, I can see how scared you are, however, of love." Mizuki smiled. "I should know, I was terrified before I got, well a girlfriend."

Iruka smiled. "Yeah." He sighed. "I think I'm going to head home."

"Oh so soon?" Mizuki purred. "Well then, remember, make a real cake, not a cake with vegetables."

Iruka wanted to say something cruel, but thought against it. He only smiled at Mizuki, said his goodbyes and left the academy for the day.

* * *

_**Naruto**_

"So...did anyone ask about me?" He asked Hinata.

"Iruka Sensei did." Hinata admitted.

"You didn't_"

"No."

"Thanks." Naruto replied as he sat up, looking at Hinata who sat at the end of his bed. He was feeling a slight bit better, at least physically, but emotionally he was still broken. All he could do was pretend that it was okay.

"Oh," Naruto beamed. "D...did you bring it?"

"Yes." Hinata replied, reaching into a small bag that she carried with her. She withdrew a small canister of painkillers and handed them to Naruto. "Here, just take two every twelve hours."

"Yeah, thanks." Naruto dryly replied, looking at the pill bottle. "You should get going home now. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"It's fine...my dad is always worried about my sister and not me. I can stay for a while longer, and get you caught up on your work."

Naruto smiled. "Okay...thanks!"

* * *

**_Iruka_**

Iruka couldn't sleep that night. As much as he tried to deny it, guilt coursed through his body and as he connected two and two, it was beginning to make more and more sense. Naruto's absence was made possible only by Iruka ignorance.

But he'd be back tomorrow, right?

He knew Naruto wouldn't back down, he'd be back at the academy the next day with a smile on his face, annoying everyone. And for once, Iruka wouldn't mind that.

* * *

The next day, two of the same things happened.

Firstly, Hinata had shown up late and secondly, Naruto was missing. Iruka went through his usual roll-call and like always, everyone denied knowing where Naruto was. Iruka decided against being worried, and continued on the lesson.

When the day was over, he went home and prayed that the next day would bring something good.

Much to his dismay, everything seemed to be the same. Hinata's tardiness, Naruto's absence, for three more days this continued and Iruka was starting to get worried. So that day, before dismissing class, he told Hinata to stay behind. When the group of students left, he immediately questioned her.

"Do you know where Naruto is?" That was the first question that came to mind.

"No." She replied, and she didn't dare look at him.

"Are you lying to me, Hinata? I don't want to scold you, so please tell me the truth." Iruka begged, looking down at her.

"I don't...I don't know where she is." She replied.

"Then tell me, why are you always late?" Iruka stood before her desk and crossed his arms.

"I've been feeling sick lately." Hinata managed. "I've been waking up late."

There was a painful silence until Iruka sealed his eyes shut and dismissed Hinata.

He knew that she was lying, but she wouldn't admit it for some strange reason. Was Naruto still alive, was he hurt?

All these questions raced through his mind as he tried to sort everything out. He was worried, worried that Naruto was dead or seriously injured and no matter how Iruka looked at it, it was his fault.

* * *

_**Mizuki**_

The next day was Mizuki's birthday and Iruka had come prepared with a healthy cake. Before class started, he handed it to Mizuki.

"Oh, how'd you know?" Mizuki asked, standing outside his classroom. "Jelly-Veggie cakes are my favorite." He had the biggest smile on his face.

"Your welcome Mizuki." Iruka replied, as Mizuki poked the cake.

"It looks...better than the last one."

"I hope it tastes better." Iruka smirked as he turned around and walked down the hallway. All the while, Mizuki stood there until Iruka turned the corner. He then went back into his own classroom and was surprised by how the students stared at his cake, better yet, one student in particular.

"Erm...you want it?" He asked. And without a word, the student nodded.

* * *

_**Iruka**_

"So no one has seen Naruto?" Iruka walked around the front of his classroom.

"Nope!" Sakura replied happily. "And why would you care, Sensei? Why would we care?" And of course, there were the nods a mutters of agreement.

"It would be better if he just vanished." Sakura angrily said. "He's nothing but a waste of space_" "For once, Sakura-chan! Please be quiet about people you know nothing about!"

And to everyone's surprise, standing up in her seat with fire in her eyes was Hinata. "You know nothing about Naruto, but yet you insult him like you do!"

Iruka stood staring in amazement, not even bothering to scold Hinata.

"What do you mean? He's lazy, dumb, annoying, destructive_" Perhaps Hinata had finally had enough of Sakura blabbering mouth, but with a quick speed, Hinata was in front of her in seconds. With one arm extended, and standing in a crouching position, she gently trapped Sakura's shoulder, causing the pink haired girl to scream in agony.

Iruka had to intervene.

"Hinata!" He yelled in surprise, quickly running over to the two and split them up. "Please, no fighting!"

Sakura stepped back, clutching her shoulder and staring in surprise while Hinata only held her stance. "Please Sakura-chan, do not insult Naruto anymore." Hinata stated, glaring at the pink haired girl before her.

It seemed that the squabble had caught everyone's attention and most importantly, Sasuke Uchiha's. Iruka noticed that he now looked at Hinata with a sudden interest.

"Hinata, please sit." Iruka quietly commanded, and Hinata did as she was told. She didn't do anything else for the rest of class, she only remained quiet until the bell rang. Then silently, like everyone else, she stood and left the classroom.

* * *

"Mizuki, I have...no..." Iruka stormed into the classroom angrily as he saw a student helping himself to Mizuki's cake.

"Hey." The older student yelped.

"Let me guess, Mizuki Sensei gave you that?" Iruka felt a twinge of anger as he saw the student slurping up his jello cake.

"Yeah. Some other student made him a strawberry chocolate cake. He couldn't resist." The student replied. "Whoever made this cake is so talented, they should make some more."

"Good to know. Thanks."

Without another word, Iruka left the classroom with a scowl on his face. Mizuki had probably left to go home, but once Iruka found him, Mizuki would never dream of eating chocolate again.

* * *

Iruka had let his curiosity get the best of him and before he knew it, he was patrolling the village in search of Naruto. He had asked anyone and everyone he saw, but as usual, the villagers replied with rude remarks and left Iruka to his search.

It seemed like the only person he could go to for help was Ichiraku, and surprisingly, the old man gave him all the information he needed.

"Yeah, he was here." He started. "There was also a Hyuga here with him...Hinata, I think Naruto called her."

Iruka's expression hardened and he thanked Ichiraku. Now he could finally confirm that Hinata was with Naruto, and that she was lying. But why would she?

Iruka felt his heart pounding now, as he made his way to Naruto's apartment. Perhaps the boy was there...perhaps he was alive.

Iruka hurried down the streets of Konoha, politely excusing himself as he shoved people out of his way. His heart was pounding faster than usual as he got closer...closer...and then something stopped him.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the faint sound of someone crying. Looking around, he realized that this faint noise was coming from an alley. While Naruto was his top priority, he knew that the sound was coming from a child, which meant that they could be in danger, so without really thinking about it, he entered the alley.

Upon entering, he stepped on what seemed liked dead flowers, but he didn't think much of it. Continuing on, he followed the soft whimpering until he ended up behind a large green dumpster and to his surprise, he found what he had been looking for.

Sitting down crying in a crouched position, was none other than a _very broken_, Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

**So I hope you like it. You've probably realized that I made Hinata a bit more bold,tell me what you think about her. Tell me what you think about the story, chapter, etc. And thank you for the reviews, the faves and follows.**

**And sadly, I do not own Naruto.**


	3. Worst Birthday

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the feedback for the first chapter! I'm glad you all like it, just don't forget to review. In addition, I'm tired of reading stories where Mizuki is either the abusive boyfriend, or the jerk-ass friend, so I've changed him up a bit. Tell me if you like it.**

* * *

**_Chapter Three: Worst Birthday_**

**_Iruka_**

The chunnin felt his heart sink when he saw Naruto sitting there, rubbing the tears from his eyes with his small fists. He wasn't sure if he should go and comfort Naruto, or just run away and pretend he saw nothing.

But Iruka had already messed up enough, and abandoning Naruto would only add to his record. So holding his breath, and pushing back any negative emotions, Iruka walked over to Naruto and sat down next to him.

It took Naruto a while to notice his Sensei, but when he did, he attempted to stop crying.

"It's okay." Iruka coaxed, quietly. "You can cry."

"W...what's okay?" Naruto asked. "I'm...I'm not crying?"

And then Iruka did something different. He pulled Naruto into a very soft embrace and held him there for a while. Before he knew it, the young pre-genin had burst into tears. He clutched Iruka's vest and cried harder than before. Iruka only sat there, rubbing his blond hair and attempting his best to calm him down.

"It's okay..." Iruka softly said. "You can cry...you can tell me what's wrong."

Naruto stopped for a while and pushed away from Iruka sensei. Still rubbing the tears from his eyes, he looked at his Iruka and spoke.

"Please Iruka Sensei...don't get mad at me." And then, without a seconds hesitation, Naruto began to tell the whole story from the beginning to the end. All the while, Iruka sat there and listened in horror, not knowing that anyone in the village would stoop so low.

"I'm going to tell_"

"No!" Naruto shouted. "You can't tell anyone! It's a secret...If anyone figured out, they'd make fun of me and call me weak."

"Naruto, no one is going to make fun of you!"

"Iruka Sensei! No one likes me, they already make fun of me!" Naruto stood up in anger. "And you don't like me anyway, so why do you care! You're just like everyone else!"

"Naruto..." Iruka softly said.

"No...no! You stay away from me! You leave me alone! I hate you, I hate all of you!" With that, the young pre-genin ran out of the alley. Iruka made way to chase him, but realized it was no use. Naruto had long vanished into the crowds of people.

* * *

When Iruka arrived home, he was less that surprised to see someone sitting on his sofa. Better yet, seeing an ANBU sitting on his sofa.

"Kakashi..." Iruka breathed, tossing his shoes off.

"How'd you know it was me?" Kakashi asked, removing his tin mask from his face.

"What other ANBU would be waiting in my apartment at such an hour?" Iruka asked. "Who would be waiting for me?"

Kakashi shrugged and stood up, quickly walking over to Iruka. "Something is bothering you." It was a statement, not a question. He softly placed a hand on Iruka's shoulder. "Tell me...let's sit down."

Within seconds, the two were on the couch. Iruka felt nervous, sitting there in the presence of an elite, but before Kakashi pestered him even further, he began.

"I'm sorry...for coming to you with all my problems." Iruka started.

Kakashi waved his hand. "It's fine, honestly."

"Even if...I'm just a chunnin?" Iruka asked. He knew the question sounded dumb, but it had always been sitting at the top of his tongue. The fact that someone like Kakashi would make numerous visits just to speak to Iruka...Didn't he have jounin or ANBU friends to be with?

"Iruka..." The way Iruka's name rolled off of Kakashi's lips made the younger man shiver inside. "Rank..doesn't apply when I'm with you." He smiled. "Now what's bugging you?"

"Naruto." Iruka spat. "Something happened to him."

"Continue..." Kakashi spoke.

Iruka swallowed for a while, trying to find someway to summarize it, but in the end, he told it how it was. "Kakashi...Naruto was, he was raped."

There was a slight pause before Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "Is that all? That's what you're worked up about, Iruka?"

The chunnin looked at his peer in shock. "Yes! A student of mine was_"

"That's nothing compared to what could have happened. You're much too soft, if you're letting this_"

"Kakashi san!" Iruka was shocked. "A boy was violated, and you're calling me soft for worrying!"

"Well, in my day, we'd be lucky to have that happen to us."

Iruka surprised himself by standing, but he still held his ground. "It is not 'in your day!' Children, should not have to worry about being attacked."

Kakashi stood up with the same calm expression. "Iruka, you're only a seventeen year old chunnin, I wouldn't expect you to understand anything."

"What?" Iruka was shocked.

"Yes Iruka, you can't begin to comprehend the horrors others have to go through. You should consider Naruto lucky," He sighed. "I see that I have offended you Iruka, perhaps I should take my leave."

"Kakashi...wait!" But the copy ninja had vanished into thin air, leaving Iruka there to do nothing but sigh.

* * *

**_Iruka_**

"It was that bad?" Mizuki asked for perhaps the fifth time, as he noticed Iruka just played with his food.

"Yes...it was embarrassing, he called me...ugh...I don't want to think about it. This is your birthday, I don't want to ruin it by sulking, besides...that was last night."

The two currently sat in a cafe, celebrating Mizuki's eighteenth birthday, yet, Iruka was as sad as ever.

"Maybe we should do this at your house! You can cook up something...cooking always cheers you up, doesn't it?"

Iruka didn't smile or anything, he just nodded. "Sure, I'll make your favorite."

* * *

**_Naruto_**

After everything that had happened, after everything he had been through, Naruto should've known that it was a fools move. Attempting to start a fight with the people who had assaulted him and then running away from them right after, was a cowardly thing to do.

But he couldn't control his urges to get even with the people who had wronged him and now, he'd pay the ultimate price.

Naruto, as usual, attempted to knock on people's doors, but wasn't surprised when no one answered, so he continued to run until he was far enough away to start knocking on apartment doors.

_They're all locked!_ He thought, pushing and trying to pull them open, until one door slowly creaked open, allowing Naruto to enter it. He shut and locked the door behind him. As he listened, he heard his assaulters run past the door, still looking for him.

He made sure to keep quiet, as they searched for several minutes afterwards but yet, he couldn't keep himself from silently weeping.

If they found him again, would this kill him this time? Or would they do what they had done before again?

Naruto sat down and placed his head in his hands, only hoping that who ever lived in this apartment, would let him stay until the danger passed.

* * *

**_Mizuki_**

Iruka had cheered up enough to go "clothes searching" with Mizuki. It wasn't a really exciting process, nor was it a boring one. The duo visited about twelve stores before Mizuki finally realized that Konoha's clothing fashion, just wasn't up to date.

"Let's head to your house." Mizuka finally announced as the two walked down the streets of Konoha. Iruka agreed without really looking at Mizuki, it appeared that he was looking off into the distance, and suddenly, he stopped. Mizuki, confused, sighed and tugged on his arm.

"Iruka..." He stated. "What are you looking at...oh..."

There, sitting on a bench was Kakakshi, Iruka supposed boy friend, snuggling with what seemed like another shinobi. This guy had brown hair, strange looking dark eyes and well...

"Come on Iruka." Mizuka finally brought his friend back into reality. "Let's go, if he's going to cheat in public that a piss pot like that isn't worth your time."

"But..."

"I said, 'Let's go'!" He tugged Iruka until he finally started walking at a faster pace. But as usual, he remained silent for the rest of the walk. That still though, didn't stop Mizuki from trying to comfort him.

"Okay, listen...you don't need someone like him! He's an elite, someone who only chases after people like him! But that being said, you're not any lesser than you think...um...you're a really good person Iruka, think of it that way. I mean, your kind hearted, you're sweet and you're amazing. I mean, the way you teach the kids at school...well, no one can do that. Just because some low ass jonin played you, doesn't mean you have to get all depressed! You're so much better than him."

"Yeah..."Iruka finally breathed, as the walked up the steps of his apartment. "I guess...I guess you're right." Mizuki was happy to look back and see Iruka smile.

"Thank you, Mizuki."

Iruka stepped before the two and attempted to open his door. Much to his surprise, it was locked.

"I left it unlocked." Iruka said, rummaging though his pocket for a key.

"You're the only one in the village, no, in the fire country, who leaves his door unlocked." Mizuki sarcastically noted.

"I've never had a problem before though." Iruka found his key and stuck it in they key hole, opening the door.

"But there's always a first_" Mizuki was cut off short when both he and Iruka entered the house, to see Naruto sitting right there.

This honestly had to be, Mizuki's worst birthday ever.

* * *

**I'm sorry for the long wait, but I hope this chapter was worth it! Please tell me what you think, and like always, I do not own Naruto.**


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